We really like this quote from historian Howard Zinn (via James Clear, source: You Can’t Be Neutral on a Moving Train):
“To be hopeful in bad times is not just foolishly romantic. It is based on the fact that human history is a history not only of cruelty, but also of compassion, sacrifice, courage, kindness.
What we choose to emphasize in this complex history will determine our lives. If we see only the worst, it destroys our capacity to do something. If we remember those times and places—and there are so many—where people have behaved magnificently, this gives us the energy to act, and at least the possibility of sending this spinning top of a world in a different direction.
And if we do act, in however small a way, we don't have to wait for some grand utopian future. The future is an infinite succession of presents, and to live now as we think human beings should live, in defiance of all that is bad around us, is itself a marvelous victory."
Likewise, to be an investor is to believe that there are other people, like you, engaged in works of creation and improvement. It is to believe that nothing good or meaningful can be achieved without effort and risk. Progress does not come in a straight line, in fitness, investing, even mental health. Expecting opposition is part of a good plan.
We do not know if a recession will happen now, one year from now, or some other specific date. We do know that a systematic and consistent approach to investing has been a successful way to achieve many goals. We believe it will continue to be.
